FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT CITY ZONING - PAGE 3

In this corner, a school that teaches adults how to become professional wrestlers, which has for a month been staging Friday night wrestling shows in its converted Linden Street, Allentown, warehouse. In the other, the West Park Civic Association and the city of Allentown, saying the shows are outside the bounds of the zoning ordinance and charging that crowds and traffic generated are disruptive to the residential neighborhood. The smackdown will begin Monday night when the two sides square off in front of the Zoning Hearing Board.

This time, Nic Zawarski & Sons brought out the big guns to back its request for several zoning variances that would clear the way for 63 luxury town homes on three underused parking lots in downtown Allentown. After suffering a stunning denial in March, the developer, as part of its appeal, brought a parade of dignitaries to the zoning board Monday to vouch for the city-backed project, aimed at adding upper- and middle-income residents to the city's struggling but improving downtown.

Bethlehem is considering a law change that would revive a $10 million apartment project that has been on life support since City Council refused to rezone a tract on Creek Road last month. East Penn Real Estate owner J.B. Reilly has proposed a 240-unit upscale apartment complex, but the project seemed stalled on the drawing board when council decided it would not rezone 10 of the 27 acres Reilly planned to build on. Reilly met with Mayor Don Cunningham and city planning officials Tuesday to discuss ways to reshape the complex to fit on the remaining 17 acres at Creek and Friedensville roads.

Sandra Paul called it a "toughy" to decide if a shopping gallery for antiques and collectibles should be permitted in an Easton industrial building that has been empty for years. The reason Paul, a zoning board member, found the decision difficult was that the current zoning code prohibits such a project as a shopping gallery, proposed by two Bangor women, in the industrial complex at 659 N. 13th St. The Easton Zoning Hearing Board granted the variance Monday night, but with it came a plea from Paul that the city zoning codes be updated soon to reflect the city's new comprehensive plan.

Bethlehem officials will not try to shut down Casa Refugio, an unlicensed faith-based drug and alcohol program on the city's South Side that neighbors were concerned could be housing prison parolees. Casa Refugio, or Refuge House, is well on its way to being in compliance with Bethlehem ordinances, said Michael Palos, the city's housing inspector. "The situation there is not as drastic as it was first made out to be," Palos said. City zoning officials started investigating the unlicensed program earlier this month after neighbors alerted them that parolees might be residing at Casa Refugio, where about 12 recovering addicts live from six months to two years as they take part in group discussions.

The owners of a Midway Manor trailer storage business that neighbors and Allentown officials say has become a noisy trucking terminal have appealed a Lehigh County Court ruling that orders them to cease operations. Stuff-A-Lot LLC and Custom Diesel initially asked Judge Carol K. McGinley to suspend her May 1 ruling pending the outcome of the appeal to Commonwealth Court, allowing the company to continue operating at its location on Sherman Street. This week the company dropped that request but not its appeal, said city solicitor Hank Perkin, allowing the city to enforce the county court order.

A group of Bethlehem residents who live in the vicinity of Eaton Avenue and Ralston Road, the proposed site of a 95-unit boardinghouse, plan to attend tonight's Bethlehem City Council meeting to protest the building. They also intend to request that the 35 mph speed limit in the area be lowered because "the street has become an artery for fast-moving traffic." Joan Stolz, speaking for some of the protesters, said the group intends to present council with a petition bearing the names of at least100 people opposed to the boardinghouse construction.

The developer of a proposed senior citizen residential high-rise in Easton has asked Northampton County Court to dismiss an appeal of the city zoning board decision granting permission for construction of the project. If the court does not dismiss the appeal by Grace Lipari, the developer, The Antonian, Ltd., wants the court to order her to post a $2.3-million bond to continue with her action. Attorney Joel Ziev filed the petition yesterday, and Judge Robert A. Freedberg signed an order directing that a hearing on the matter be held Feb. 28. The Antonian proposed a seven-story apartment building for the elderly, to be constructed at 9th, Washington and Walnut streets in Easton, on the site of a playground used by students at Easton Catholic Elementary School.

The president of a group fighting a proposed barrel and drum reconditioning plant telephoned Bethlehem Mayor Ken Smith last night on a live television program to question him about city zoning board approval for the business. Robert McLaughlin, president of Freemansburg United, called Smith on the "Talk With Your Mayor" program on WFMZ-TV Channel 69 to ask "if any consideration was given to Freemansburg residents" in approving the Sussex Barrel and Drum Inc. plant. The site is near the Freemansburg-Bethleh em border.

Allentown zoning officials have ordered the owners of a tractor-trailer storage lot in the city's Midway Manor section to stop operating a truck terminal at the site in violation of the zoning code. Two weeks ago, the Zoning Hearing Board upheld a May 12 decision by zoning Supervisor Barbara Nemith, advising Stuff-A-Lot LLC and Custom Diesel Inc. that they needed to apply for a zoning permit to continue the operations, which she deemed a truck terminal. Neighbors had told the board that trucks idling inside and outside of the lot at 1038 N. Sherman St. had been polluting their neighborhood with noise, fumes and soot.